If you’re wondering which players to watch in Saturday’s NWSL Championship match between the Portland Thorns and Kansas City Current, look no further than the NWSL Best XI for the 2022 season.

The league on Tuesday released its list of the top 11 players this year, including Thorns forward Sophia Smith and midfielder Sam Coffey as well as Current forward Lo’eau LaBonta. The results are based on a voting scale involving players (50%), owners, GMs and coaches (20%), media (20%) and fans (10%).

Smith is among the five NWSL MVP candidates after finishing second in the Golden Boot race with 14 goals, a career best and a single-season record for Portland. Coffey, a Rookie of the Year nominee, boasted an 83 percent pass rating.

For the Current, LaBonta broke out this season with seven goals — and standout celebrations, even compared to those from the rest of the self-proclaimed Celly Team.

THE CELLY TEAM STRIKES AGAIN 💃 pic.twitter.com/TqU2hpYBiq

— KC Current (@thekccurrent) October 16, 2022

Kansas City goalkeeper AD Franch and defender Hailie Mace feature on the Best XI Second Team, as do Thorns defenders Kelli Hubly and Becky Sauerbrunn.

The San Diego Wave lead all teams with three players on the Best XI First Team, including: forward Alex Morgan, Golden Boot winner and MVP candidate; Kailen Sheridan, Goalkeeper of the Year candidate; and Naomi Girma, nominee for MVP, Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year.

OL Reign, who claimed the NWSL Shield but lost in the semifinals to the Current, boast the most players across the First and Second Teams with five. Defenders Alana Cook and Sofia Huerta made the First Team, while midfielders Jess Fishlock and Rose Lavelle and forward Megan Rapinoe made the Second Team.

Five NWSL clubs — Gotham FC, the Washington Spirit, the Orlando Pride, Racing Louisville and Angel City FC — do not have any representatives on the Best XI squads.

NWSL Best XI First Team

• Kailen Sheridan, goalkeeper (San Diego Wave)
• Alana Cook, defender (OL Reign)
• Naomi Girma, defender (San Diego Wave)
• Sofia Huerta, defender (OL Reign)
• Carson Pickett, defender (North Carolina Courage)
• Sam Coffey, midfielder (Portland Thorns)
• Lo’eau LaBonta, midfielder (Kansas City Current)
• Alex Morgan, forward (San Diego Wave)
• Debinha, forward (North Carolina Courage)
• Mallory Pugh, forward (Chicago Red Stars)
• Sophia Smith, forward (Portland Thorns)

NWSL Best XI Second Team

• Adrianna Franch, goalkeeper (Kansas City Current)
• Kelli Hubly, defender (Portland Thorns)
• Hailie Mace, defender (Kansas City Current)
• Tatumn Milazzo, defender (Chicago Red Stars)
• Becky Sauerbrunn, defender (Portland Thorns)
• Jess Fishlock, midfielder (OL Reign)
• Kerolin, forward (North Carolina Courage)
• Rose Lavelle, midfielder (OL Reign)
• Diana Ordóñez, forward (North Carolina Courage)
• Megan Rapinoe, forward (OL Reign)
• Ebony Salmon, forward (Houston Dash)

The 2022 @mastercard Best XI teams are on another LEVEL 😱

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 25, 2022

Naomi Osaka advanced to the third round of the 2026 Australian Open with a three-set victory over Sorana Cirstea on Thursday.

But the hard-fought win was overshadowed by a heated exchange at the net and a subsequent public apology from the former Japanese fan favorite.

After Osaka defeated the unseeded 35-year-old 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 at Margaret Court Arena, the two shared a tense handshake before Cirstea reportedly called Osaka out for her on-court conduct. The issue apparently centered on Osaka’s habit of shouting "Come on!" to celebrate points, specifically between Cirstea’s first and second serves — a move the Romanian considered both a distraction and a breach of sportsmanship.

In her immediate postmatch interview, Osaka dismissed Cirstea's complaints.

"Apparently a lot of 'come-ons' that she was angry about, but whatever," Osaka said. "I think this was her last Australian Open, so, okay, sorry she was mad about it."

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However, during her subsequent press conference, Osaka apologized for her dismissive tone.

"I'm a little confused. I guess that emotions were very high for her," Osaka said. " I also want to apologize. I think the first couple of things that I said on the court were disrespectful. I don't like disrespecting people. That's not what I do."

Osaka went on to clarify that her vocal outbursts are self-motivating and not an attempt to rattle her opponent.

Cirstea, who recently announced that the 2026 season will be her last on the WTA Tour, later downplayed the incident. She called it a "five-second exchange between two players," insisting that "there was no drama."

Osaka, the No. 16 seed, will next face unseeded Australian Maddison Inglis in the third round on Friday.

How to watch Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open this week

No. 16 Naomi Osaka takes the court against Australia's Maddison Inglis this Friday (time TBA), live on ESPN.

While competing at the 2026 Australian Open this week, US tennis star Coco Gauff is giving back to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), with the world No. 3 WTA player announcing a $150,000 donation to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to fund HBCU tennis scholarships on Tuesday.

"Education has the power to change lives, and I hope this gift will help students achieve their dreams," said Gauff in a Tuesday statement.

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Even more, this week's donation marks the two-time Grand Slam champion's second UNCF contribution in as many years, with her $100,000 pledge in 2025 bringing Gauff's total gift to $250,000.

"I feel like HBCU tennis a lot of times doesn't get the funding that they need," Gauff said after advancing to Thursday night's Australian Open third round. "I would always try to uplift marginalized communities and support where I can."

One of the youngest major donors in organization's 80-year history, the 21-year-old star's Coco Gauff Scholarship Program has already sponsored multiple HBCU tennis athletes.

"My family has a deep-rooted history with HBCUs," Gauff wrote in a 2025 press release. "As a young Black athlete, I understand how impactful it is to see people who look like me thriving in both sports and education…. My hope is that this scholarship gives more young Black players the confidence to chase their dreams, knowing they have a strong community behind them and a bright future ahead."

PWHL players made their voices heard this week, as The Athletic published the results of the third-year league's first-ever anonymous player poll on Wednesday, surveying athletes on everything from the best trash-talkers to which nation's team will win Olympic gold at next month's 2026 Winter Games.

Leading the poll's individual accolades is 34-year-old Team Canada and Montréal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin, dubbed the PWHL's best player by 80% of respondents.

Poulin's Team USA counterpart, Seattle Torrent forward Hilary Knight, snagged second as each standout prepares for a fifth career Olympic run.

As for who will win gold in Italy, all but one player predicted a Canada vs. USA Olympic Final, with a 50/50 split on the eventual victor.

Athletes also answered overarching questions about the growing league in the player poll, with Detroit earning the most nods as a PWHL expansion city — though Denver and Chicago also scored double-digit votes.

As for the future face of the league, current New York Sirens forward and 2024 PWHL No. 1 draftee Sarah Fillier narrowly edged out current University of Wisconsin senior and Team USA Olympic defender Caroline Harvey in the players' poll.

Toronto Sceptres forward Emma Maltais beat out Montréal's Abby Roque by one vote for the title of top PWHL trash-talker, though most players tapped her for quantity over quality — an assessment Maltais herself agrees with.

"I'm not trash-talking," clarified the 26-year-old Canadian. "I'm just yapping."

WNBA star Angel Reese is lighting up the silver screen, with the Chicago Sky forward racking up multiple film and TV credits during the league's offseason.

On Tuesday, Netflix revealed that Reese will play a character called "Trainer Barbie" in the second season of the streamer's hit show, The Hunting Wives.

Already a fan of the series, Reese's told Hunting Wives creator Rebecca Cutter to "just let me know if you need me for season 2" on X last summer — a conversation that helped spark the basketball star's casting.

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Tuesday's news follows last week's announcement that Reese and Las Vegas Aces star center A'ja Wilson will each voice a role in the upcoming animated film GOAT, produced by the NBA's Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry.

When the film hits theaters on February 13th, fans will see Reese as Propp, a polar bear, while Wilson plays a reptile called Kouyate.

Reese first opened her acting portfolio by playing herself in a cameo in the October 2025 Netflix film A House of Dynamite, with Hunting Wives marking the 23-year-old's first foray into a scripted series.

The eight-episode second season of the Netflix show is currently in production, though a premiere date is still unknown.